Tray-setting device



Feb. 15,1927. I 1,617,834

- J..J. ARMSTRONG TRAY SETTING DEVICE Filed June 1925 4 Sheet5-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

gw wd r A TTORNEYJ.

Feb. 15, 1927.

A 1,617,834 J. J. ARMSTRQNG TRAY SETTING DEVICE Filed June 1925 4 Sheets-Sheet :5

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' INVENTOR. MIR/01%. B M 7 A TTORNEYS.

Feb. 15, J. J. ARMSTRONG TRAY SETTING DEVICE Filed June 15, 1925 4 Sheeps-SheiA INVENTOR.

BY @747 J m/m1 W ATTORNEYS.

Patented Feb. 15, 1927.

UNITED STATES JOHNJAMES ARMSTRONG, OF CROCKE'IT, CALIFORNIA.

'rnav sn'rrnve DEVICE.

Application filed June 15, 1925. Serial No. 37,094.

This invention relates to conveying mechanisms and particularly pertains to means for setting trays inproper relation to a conveying mechanism.

In the use of conveyors in connection with certain types of automatic machinery and particularly in instances where trays are carried forwardly on conveyors and are intended to receive articles at a definite station along their path of travel, it has been found diflicult to insure that the trays will move in synchronism with the mechanism by which articles are to be deposited thereon. This is especially true in connection with the operation of sugar cube making machines in which sugar cubes are formed on a rotary device and are deposited on a tray as it travels beneath said cube forming member, for in that case when the tray does not properly register with the cube making device, some of the cubes will be supplied from the trays and will thus be loose.

It is the principal object of the present invention, therefore, to provide means operating in synchronism with the rotary sugar cube forming member and the tray conveying means to automatically position the successive trays on the conveyor so that their movement with relation to the rotary drum will be such as to insure that the sugar cubes will be accurately deposited on the trays in positions which will insure that they will not fall from the trays during transit.

The present invention contemplates the use of a horizontally moving endless conveyor upon which trays are deposited and by which they are carried horizontally beneat-h a sugar cube forming machine of the rotary drum type, and in conjunctionwith which endless conveyor means automatically operate in synchronism with the rotation and operation with the cube forming drum to properly position the trays in relation thereto.

The invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a view in side elevation showing one form of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a view in plan showing the form of invention disclosed in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view in side elevation showing another form of the present invention.

Fig. 4; is a view in transverse section through the structure shown in Fig. 2 as viewed on the line 44 thereof. I

Fig. 5 is a view in transverse section through the form of invention shown in Fig.

3 as viewed on the line 5 5 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view in section and elevation through the trip mechanism of the device shown in Fig. 3 as seen on the line 66 of Fig. 3. v

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view in diagram showing the relation of a tray to the cube forming drum, and particularly disclosing the manner in which the cubes are deposited thereon. I Referring more particularly to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing, 10 and 11 indicate frame elements of a sugar cube forming machine. These frame members are disposed at opposite ends of a rotary drum 12 which embodies suitable mechanism for forming the sugar cubes. The drum is rotatably mounted upon trunnions 13 and 14: received in bearings formed as a part of the frame members 10 and 11. This drum is fitted with a gear 15 in mesh with a gear 16 by which the drum is driven. The gear 16 is mounted on a jack shaft 17 carried in suitable bearings on the frames 10 and 11 and receiving driving power from some suitable power source.

An understanding of the mechanism'within the drum 12 and by which the sugar cubes are formed is immaterial to the present invention, as this mechanism may be of any type by which sugar cubes are formed in the pockets 18 on the face of the drums, which pockets are clearly shown in big. 2 as being arranged in rows longitudinally of the cylindrical face of the drums, the rows being spaced equidistant with relation to each other, the present invention being particularly concerned with means for moving a tray insynchronism with said rotary drum in a manner to properly receive the cubes ejected from the drum.

The tray'as indicated at 19 is a flat sheet tion, but are here shown as being endless belts. The upper run of these conveyors passes directly over guide plates 22 and 23. As more clearly shown in Figs. 4 and 5, these plates have outer flanges which act to limit the lateral motion of the tray 19 while being advanced therealong. The plates 22 and 23 also are formed with horizontal portions 26 which tend to support the upper run of conveyor belt when the weight of the tray is imposed thereupon.

It is common practice in operation of this class of mechanism for the trays to be manually deposited on the conveyor belts 2-0 and 21 while depending solely upon the judgment of the operator as to whether or not the tray will properly register with the rows of cube forming pockets 18 on the drum. It will be, of course, evident that in the event that a row of cubes is placed on the tray at a point too near the edge thereof, this row of cubes will likely spill from the tray during transit. This hazard is increased in the present instance due to the fact that after the trays have travelled through the cube forming machine at a slow rate of speed, they are delivered onto other endless conveyors 27 as indicated in Figs. 1 and 3, and which conveyors are travelling at a greater rate of speed, thus making it highly probable that sugar cubes deposited too near the edges of the ends of the trays will drop from the trays as the trays are transferred from the slow moving belts 20 and 21 to the faster moving belts 27 The conveyor belts 20 and 21 are roved around sets of pulleys 28 and 29 carried by the frame of the sugar forming machine, the belts being suitably driven by a gear 30 mounted on the shaft 81 carrying the pulleys 28, and which gear is in mesh with gear 16 of. the drive shaft 17.

It is to be understood that the lineal speed of travel of the endless conveyors is in direct ratio to the peripheral speed of travel of the cube forming drum 12; thus in the event that there are twenty-eight rows of cube forming pockets 18 around the complete circumference of the drum, it will be evident that a tray shall travel beneath the drum during one revolution of the drum 12 in order to receive twentyeight rows of cubes as the drum rotates one revolution and as the tray advances a distance slightly less than its length while travelling beneath the drum.

It becomes necessary, therefore, to insure that the front and rear edges of the tray must register with the drum at a point between the rows of cubes, and the present invention is particularly concerned with means for insuring that this registration will cause the first row of cubes to be deposited on the tray a predetermined distance from the edge thereof, which distance will be sufficient to prevent the cubes from falling from the tray during transit.

The mechanism for accon'iplishing this result as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and lof the drawings, comprises a setting arm 32 disposed at a point substantially midway between the horizontal runs of conveyor belts 20 and 21 and supported for oscillatory movement by a shaft This shaft is suitably supported in bearings 23% carried by extensions of the frame members 10 and 11. The seating arm 82 is of such a length that when it is in a substantially vertical position it will project upwardly between the upper rows of the conveyor belts 20 and 21 and terminate at a point above the level thereof, whereby it can engage the rear edge of a tray 19 being propelled horizontally upon the belts 20 and 21, the length of this lever also being such as to permit its free end to lie below the level of the path of travel of the trays when in its inoperative position.

Mounted to the lever is a counterweight arm which oscillates the lever to its inoperative position after operation. The lever is moved to its operative position by a trip arm 36 carried on a disk 37. This disk is keyed to a timing shaft 38 which extends parallel to the shaft 33 of the setting arm The shaft 38 is supported in bearings 39 carried by the frame members 10 and 11, and is driven by a sprocket wheel 40 secured to one end of the shaft. This sprocket wheel agrees in diameter with a sprocket wheel ll carried on one of the trunnions 13 or 14 of the cube forming drum 12 and around which sprockets ll) and a1 a sprocket chain is roved.

By this driving mechanism a 1 to 1 ratio will be established between the rotating drum 12 and the shaft 38. Thus the trip arm carried by the disk 37 on shaft 38 will travel 360 in every revolution of the shaft. This arm is adjustably secured upon the disk 87 by lock bolts lO passing through arcuate slotted openings 4:1 in the disk whereby the moment of actuation of the trip lever may be varied with relation to the cube forming drum 12, thus directly changing the position of a tray with relation to the rows of cube forming pockets on the drum in a manner which will be hereinafter described.

The trip arm 36 is formed at its outer end with a wear plate which strikes a lifting lug 18 carried by and projecting from the shaft This lug is normally held in the path of travel of the trip arm 36 by the counterweight 35, and will swing out of the path of travel of the end of the trip arm 36 when engaged by the arm. During this swinging movement the tray setting arm 32 will swing from its lowerlll most position to a substantially vertical position between the upper run of the con veyor belts 20 and 21, and in an engaging position relative to a tray 19.

In operation of the form oi the invention shown in Figs. 1, 2 and i, the cube forming mechanism is set in operation through the drive shaft 17 which simultaneously drives the drum 12 and the endless conveyor belts 20 and The driving ratio between these various devices is such that the peripheral speed of the drum 12 bears such a relation to the lineal soeed of travel of the conveyor belts 20 and 21 that one tray will be passed beneath the drum during each revolution of the drum. in p l-CtlCB, however, the tray is considerably shorter in length than the circumferentiallength 01 the drum and travels at a much slower rate of speed so that he rows of sugar cubes will be deposited on the tray in closer relation to each other than the rows of recesses 18 on the drum, thus conserving considerable space. It is also desirable to make the travel ot the tray while receiving the sugar cubes which will be deposited thereon during one revolution of the drum, slightly less than the length of the tray so that it will be imperative that each oi the trays shall be engaged by the setting lever 32 and its position corrected with relation to the conveyor belts.

The trays 19 will thus be carried forwardly in the direction of the arrow a as indicated in Fig. 1, while the drum 12 will be rotating in the direction of the arrow b,'as indicated in the same figure. it is the object of the present invention to automatically position the tray with relation to the rows of cube forming recesses 18 on the drum, so that a predetermined margin will occur between the ends ot'the trays and the end rows of cubes as indicated at c and -Z- in Fig. 7. This result is accomplished by the tray setting arm 23 in the following manner.

Since the trays have been approximately set in tieir proper position, the rear edge of the advancing tray will be within a traction of an'inch of its proper position when it passes over the tray setting shaft 33. At this time the arm 32 will be in its receded position as indicated at c in Fig. l. The trip arm 36 will at the same time be rotating in the direction of the arrow Z)- in Fig. 1. and will encounter the trip lug 12 carried by the shaft 38. This will cause the setting arm 32 to swing upwardly from its receding position in the direction of the arrow g as indicated in Fig. 1 and to strike the rear edge of the advancing tray 19. The speed of travel of the swinging arm will be greater than the speed of travel of the tray and the conveyor belts upon which it is deposited, so that the tray will be accellerated in speed and shifted along the purpose herein set forth.

arm 36 swinging tree of the end of lug 43,

after which the counter-weight will cause. the arm 82 to fall in a reverse direction to he arrow and return to its receded position indicated by dotted linesat 6 The trip arm 86 describes one complete revolution around shaft 38 in each revolution of the drum 12, and it will therefore be e ident that the oeriod of effective action of trip arm with relation to the lug 48 and the setting arm will have a direct relation to the circumference or the drum 12.

This operation will set the tray sov that its forward edge will be a predetermined distance in advance the first row of cube forming recesses from which cubes will it) be deposited on ray, this distance being represented in g. as the distance 0-. it will also follow that as the tray moves forwardly in frictional engagement with the belts 20 and 21, the rows of cubes will be uniformly deposited on the tray and that there will be a predetermined margin between the last row'o'i cubes deposited and the rear edge of the tray as indicated at -d. This distance may be varied by adjusting the trip arm 36 so that the interval of oper ation'ot' this arm may be changed in relation to the r-ows of recesses 19 in the rotary drum 12.

Referring particularly to Figs. 3, and 6, it will be seen that a dillierent setting mech anism is provided directly tripped by drum 12. This mechanism comprises a tray set-- ting arm d5 mounted on a shaft 46 disposed beneath the upper run oi belts and 21 and rotatably supported in suitable bearings The lever l5 functions in the same manner as lever previously described, in that it may be swung from a position below the plane of travel 01' trays 19 to a position where it will encounter the rear edge of a tray and shiftit along the belts for the The setting arm is fastened to the shalt l6 andinay be swung by a crank arm -18 fastened to the same shaft. This arm is connected by a pitinan rod 49 with a trip lever 50 which is mounted on a pivot 51 carried on the side :lrame member 10.

The trip lever 50 swings in a vertical p ane and projects upwardly along the side of the end of drum 12 so that it will stand in the path of travel of a pin 52 projecting from the face of the gear and carried thereby. The pin 52 is mounted on a plate 53 and fits against an arcuate shoulder 54: formed as a part of a counterbore in the end of the gear 15. The plate is held in position by a locl: bolt 55 which extends through a slotted opening 56 in the plate. The slot {:6 is arcuate and concentric with the center of the drum 12.

By this means it is possible to move the plate and its pin circumferentially with relation of the axis of the drum and to thus change the position of the pin with reference to the rows of cube forming pockets 18 on the cylindrical face of the drum. lhe pit man roe i9 is connected with the lever 50 at a point midway the length of the lever, and thus when the end of lever 50 is encountered by the pin 52, the lever 50 will be swung in the direction of the arrow 71.- and will pull the pitman rod d9 in the direction of the arrow This action will be resisted by a counter-weight 58 carried on a lever arm 59 which is fixed to the shaft -16 of the tray setting arm d5. If desired a spring may be substituted for the counterweight while producing the same effect.

The operation of the device shown generally in Fig. 3 and the device generally described as shown in Fig. 1 will be the same as far as the action of tray setting is concerned. In both cases the tray setting arms will directly and automatically act to set the tray in a proper relation to the rows of cube forming recesses on the drum.

It will thus be seen that by the mechanism here disclosed it is possible to mechanically and automatically set trays with relation to an automatic machine for depositing articles thereon and in a manner to insure that the articles deposited on the trays will e properly positioned relative to the tray, and to each other as the tray progresses through the machine.

lVhile I have shown the preferred forms of my invention as now known to me, it is to be understood that various changes may be made in its construction without departing from the spirit of the invention as delined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire tosecure by Legters Patent is:

1. in combination with a rotary member formed at intervals throughout its circumference with means for forming articles and ej cting them therefrom at the lowermost point in their travel. uniformly and continuously moving horizontally disposed. couveyors for supporting a tray and for carrying it beneath said rotary member to receive said articles. as said member continuously rotates and positively acting means operating in synchronism with the rotary member whereby the advancing tray will be automatically positioned on the horizontal travelling conveyors whereby the position of the tray will have a direct relation to the operation of the depositing means.

2. In combination with a continuously rotating drum formed with pockets at intervals throughout its circumference from which articles are ejected at the lowermost point in their travel, a pair of uniformly and continuously moving endless conveyors passing beneath said. drum and ad pted to carry a tray in continuous travel bcneatl the drum as it rotates, whereby the articles ejector from the drun'i will be successively deposited on the tray. and means automatically opera ing in synchronism with the drum for positively positioning the tray on the endless conv yors as the tray advances at it will bear a direct relation to the he tray is advanced.

in combination with a continuously rotat: drum formed with pockets at intervals throughout its circun'iference from ejected. from the drum will be succ-e ively depos ed on the tray, means automatically in synchronisn'i with the drum for positively positioning the tray on the endless conveyors as the tray continuously advances so that, it will bear a direct relation to the recesses in the drum as the drum rotates and the tray is advanced, and means for adjustably varying said relation.

In combination with a rotary drmn mounted upon a horizontal axis and formed with pockets at intervals throughout its circumference, from which pockets articles are ejected at the lowermost point of travel thereof, a pair of uniformly and continuously moving horizontally arranged endless conveyors disposed beneath said drum and adapted to frictionally engage and carry a tray forwardly beneath the drum in the same direction of rotation as that of the drum, and positively acting means auton'iatically cooperating with the drum for ositioning the tray as it continuously advances on the conveyors in amanncr to control the points on the tray at which ti 0 articles, will be deposited.

5. In combination with a horizonta v disposed continuously rotating drum I'llilllttl with longit \iina'lly extending rows of re,- -esses in its circumfcrcntial fuse and from which rows of recesses articles are succcssively ejected at the lowermostpoint in their travel as the drum continuously rotates at a uniform rate of speed. a pair of endless conveyors disposed with their upper run operati lit) extending substantially horizontally beneath the drum and travellingcontinuously in the same direction as the direction of rotation of the drum, means for continuously driving said conveyors "a uniform rate of speed, guide means disposed on opposite sides of said conveyors for limiting the lateral move ment of a tray f lctionally engaged by the conveyors and being continuously carried forwardly thereon, positively operating means for engaging the rear edge or a tray which is being advanced on the conveyors and for shifting the tray longitudinally of said conveyors and means operating in direct synchronism with the rotary drum for actuating said positively operating n'ieans and causing it to shift the tray to a position bearing a direct relation to the rows of recesses in the rotary member, whereby the position of deposit of the articles on the tray will be determined.

6. In combination with a horizontally disposed continuously rotating drum formed with longitudinally extending rows of recesses in its circumferential face and from which rows of recesses articles are successively ejected at the lowermost point in their travel, a pair of endless conveyors disposed with their upper run extending substantially horizontally beneath the drum and travel ling continuously and at a uniform rate of speed in the same direction as the direction of rotation of the drum, guide means disposed on opposite sides of said conveyors for limiting the lateral movement of a tray frictionally engaged by the conveyors and being carried forwardly thereon, positively operating means at one point in the travel of each tray for engaging the rear edge of a tray which. is being advanced on the conveyors and for momentarily shifting the tray longitudinally of said conveyors. means operating in direct synchronism with the rotary drum for actuating said positively operating means and causing it to shift the tray to a position bearing a direct predetermined relation to the rows of recesses in the rotary member. whereby the position of deposit of the articles on the tray will be determined and means for varying the interval of operation of the positively operating means with relation to the circumference of the drum whereby the point of deposit of the articles on the tray may be varied.

7. In combination with a rotary drum having pockets in the circumferential face thereof from which sugar cubes are ejected as the pockets reach their lowermost point of travel, said drum rotating continuously at a uniform rate of speed, an endless conveyor travelling beneath said drum at a slower rate of speed than the circun f rential speed of travel of the drum and by which conveyor a tray is 'frictionally engaged and by the lever will engage the tray and shift it forwardly along the conveyor to set it in a predetermined relation to the circumfer- BHCB Of the Clllllll.

8. In combination with means for consecutively delivering articles at a depositing station in uniform uninterrupted sequence of time, means for continuously advancing a tray past said station at a uniform speed of travel for receiving the consecutively delivered articles, means synchronously operating said delivering means and said advancing means whereby the articles will be arranged in equal spaced relation to each other upon the tray, and automatically operating means momentarily acting at a predetermined point in the travel of the tray to accelerate the speed of travel of the tray and to thereby determine the distance from the forward edge of the tray at which the first article will be deposited thereon.

9. In combination with a rotary member from the periphery of which articles are consecutively ejected at a depositing station, uniformly and continuously means passing said depositing station and carrying a tray onto which said articles are consecutively deposited as the rotary member continuously revolves, driving means operating to uniformly and continuously revolve the rotating member at a circumferential rate of speed slightly greater than the lineal rate of speed of the tray advancing means whereby the articles deposited on the tray will be arranged on the tray in closer relation to each other than the circumferential distance between the ejecting points on the rotary member, and means operating at a predetermined point in the travel of a tray whereby the rate of speed at which the tray advances will be momentarily accelerated to shift the tray on the advancing means and to fix the point on the tray at which the first article will be deposited.

10. In combination, a rotary drum driven continuously at a uniform rate of speed, means incorporated in the drum structure whereby articles will be ejected from the periphery of the drum at equal intervals as said ejecting points on the circumference on the drum reach their lowermost point of travel in the rotation of the drum, a continuously traveling endless carrier passing beneath the drum at a uniform rate of speed slightly less than the uniform circumferential speed of travel of the drum and Whereby trays carried upon said endless conveyors may receive the articles from the drum as advancing the drum continuously and uniformly r0- tates and the trays are advanced by the end less conveyors, and means acting upon the individual trays immediately above them advanced to the ejecting station of the drum whereby said trays will be individually shifted lengthwise of the endless conveyor upon which they are supported to cause the first article deposited from the drum onto the tray to be deposited on the tray at a predetermined distance from the front marginal edge of the advancing tray.

JOHN JAMES ARMSTRONG. 

